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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. drill — army training
  3. dip — to sink
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a face
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. drill — a practice
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bulb — for light
  20. toast — bread
  21. ground — a position
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. capital — money
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com